When to plant Cowpea in Al Jabal Al Akhdar

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Cowpea

East, Libya

Cowpea (nyemba, kunde, niébé, black-eyed pea) is a tough, drought-beating legume for warm country.

Cowpea in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, rain-fed and with irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 10 Jun 2027 – 20 Jul 2027 opens in 36 weeks
Expected harvest about 1.7 t/ha
Harvest From 9 Aug 2027 to 17 Nov 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 60–120 days after planting
Work it takes 50–105 days per hectare, by hand

Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.

If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 10 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Al Jabal Al Akhdar is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 20 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Al Jabal Al Akhdar

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 45%

For cowpea in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.

The 2026/27 season in Al Jabal Al Akhdar

When the rains are expectedNovember 2026 to March 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 412 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 412 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +0.8 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can.
What that supportsenough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 44% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
55% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 90 mm
44% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 134 growing days · about 360 mm · November to March

last updated 17 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 35% of yield here.

What cowpea needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sand, sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5
Spacing 75 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants
Feed it most with phosphorus and potassium

What it takes to grow cowpea in Al Jabal Al Akhdar

Planting materialAbout 90,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 102 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 20 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 37 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job.
Hand work50–105 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a cowpea crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.

What to watch for

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH outside the crop's rangeCorrect soil pH (acidifier)

Grow Cowpea with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Al Jabal Al Akhdar as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.

Or check your field first

This calendar moves

Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.

Frequently asked questions

Will cowpea grow well in Al Jabal Al Akhdar?

Al Jabal Al Akhdar rates as favourable for cowpea.

When should I plant cowpea in Al Jabal Al Akhdar?

Typically 10 Jun 2027 to 20 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Al Jabal Al Akhdar, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Al Jabal Al Akhdar

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.